Fears over Pak minister's company financing terror outfits grow stronger
27 Jun 2009, 2022 Hrs

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Islamabad, June 27 With the dismissal of the bail pleas of three employees of a forex company owned by the Minister of State for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, Abdul Raziq, it seems that there could be something more sinister than what really meets the eye regarding the multi-billion rupees forex scam involving the minister's company.

A Lahore court dismissed the bail applications of three employees who worked for the Malik Exchange Company, after they failed to appear before it despite repeated appeals.

The court has also directed the FIA to launch a special operation to nab the absconding employees, The News reports.

Meanwhile, the company, which has been charged of transferring huge amount of money to Pakistan's restive regions supposedly to help the extremists, has filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court against the ongoing investigations regarding its nefarious links with banned terror outfits.

Intelligence agencies in Pakistan were shocked to find out that billions of rupees were disbursed to the country's terror hit volatile regions through Raziq's forex company.

According to the FIA, about 15 billion rupees were transferred from 21 secret bank accounts of Lahore to different regions of the country, and a major share of the money was sent to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) over the last seven months, where the Pakistan Army has been engaged in a fearsome battle with the Taliban.

It may be noted that Raziq was elected a Senator as an independent candidate. He was apparently rewarded with the minister of state's post, as he sided with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government at the Centre. Raziq himself belongs to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

About 80 percent of the amount transferred by the three employees of the company was sent to Parachanar, Hangu and other troubled areas of the country, and 15 percent was sent to different areas of Kashmir. Only five percent was disbursed in areas within Lahore, sources said.

This trend of a large amount of money being sent to the restive regions had set alarm bells ringing for the concerned authorities.

"This not only a national issue as there are international dimension of this forex scam too. The outward diversion of these billions from the accounts of three employees of Malik Exchange is worrisome for me. It's a matter of further inquiry at this stage if this money was also being sent to Afghanistan," the DG FIA , Tariq Khosa, had said,

Raziq, however, has denied his company's involvement in any illegal transaction.

A close aide of the minister also denied the charges, saying the allegations made against Raziq were totally without foundation.

"Those leveling the allegations have vested interests against the minister," he said. (ANI)

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